


Fuzzy Tales

by F1_rabbit



Series: Mythical Creatures AU (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Date a Werewolf) [3]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-08-10 09:00:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7838650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/F1_rabbit/pseuds/F1_rabbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dany's not having a good time of things, although he's just about to go on holiday, and he's hoping that the fresh sea air will clear his mind. But it doesn't quite work out the way he thought it would.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Revelation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [writtenfripperies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/writtenfripperies/gifts), [fasterthanthetardis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fasterthanthetardis/gifts), [DamsInDistress](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DamsInDistress/gifts).



Carlos was making a complicated potion that required exact measurements, when someone knocked on the door and startled him. The extract of marigold squirted into the flask, a tiny fizzle of smoke signalling that the potion was ruined.

There was only one person who would show up at this time in the morning, and when Carlos saw Dany standing there with tears in his eyes, he knew something bad had happened.

"Dan left me."

Carlos pulled Dany into a big hug, shutting the door behind him as he led him to the sofa. "I'm sorry, Dany."

"I'm just too human for him." Dany let out a groan, his head hanging down, and the light glinted off the charm that Carlos had given him to supress his dog allergy. "You can have this back."

Carlos took the charm away, shoving it down the side of the sofa so that Dany didn't have to look at it.

"I'm just an ordinary human too." Carlos put his arm back round Dany, glad when he saw a little smile on Dany's face.

"You are anything but ordinary." Dany laughed, and Carlos turned into a meerkat, wriggling out of his clothes before curling up on Dany's chest, brushing away his tears with his soft fur.

Carlos waited until Dany was calmer, and he uncurled, stretching and yawning before rushing off to the bathroom. He reappeared back in his human form, dressing gown wrapped around him. Dany had made them both coffee, and found out some biscuits.

"Thank you," Dany said, nibbling on a biscuit as Carlos sat down next to him.

"What are friends for?" Carlos smiled, taking a sip of his coffee as he rested his hand on Dany's knee.

"I love you, mate." Dany reached out to take Carlos' hand, he was just grateful that Carlos was his best friend.

"I love you too, bro." Carlos laughed, they'd been friends for so long, and the fact that they loved each other usually went unsaid, unless they were drunk. But now, he just needed Dany to know that no matter what happed with his love life, he was always loved.

"At least he did it before I went home, spare me from having an awkward conversation with my parents." Dany rolled his eyes and Carlos put his arm around him.

"It'll be good to get away from it all. Forget about everything." Carlos gave him a kiss on the cheek, and he saw that Dany looked tired. "Do you want to sleep here? I've got a potion to make but you're welcome to stay."

"Thank you."

Dany slept, his nose twitching as he dreamt, and Carlos worked away on his potion, the faint smell of marigolds filling the room.

*

The next morning Dany woke up to an appetising smell, and a note from Carlos.

_I had to go into work, enjoy your holiday.  
Ps. I thought you might like a little light reading x_

There was a book underneath it, _The Little Mermaid_ , and Dany laughed, he was known to read anything.

***

Dany was glad to be home, to hear his native language again, and the sun in Sochi was shining down on him, the cool breeze wafting in off the Black Sea.

It reminded him of all the summers that he spent here as a child, and he felt carefree for the first time in a long while.

He was walking along the beach with his parents, and they sat down to eat their lunch, but Dany could feel that the air was tense. His father was no longer smiling, and his mum looked sad.

"Dany, we have something to tell you," his mum said, and Dany felt his blood run cold, he'd only been here for a day, but everything had seemed fine.

"You know how I told you the story of the little rabbit I rescued?"

"Yes." Dany smiled, the panic subsiding, he had heard the story many times as a little boy.

His mum had found a baby rabbit in the woods, its parents had been caught in a trap and it was just a tiny ball of fur curled up next to them, shaking in the cold evening air. She had brought the little rabbit home in her hands, warming it up, and she nursed it back to health until it could be released into the wild.

"And that was why there was always rabbits in our garden, checking up on the woman who saved their friend." Dany laughed, but he stopped when he saw his dad reach out to hold his mum's hand, his brow furrowed as she looked at her wedding ring.

"What I never told you is that I left the little rabbit in a box to warm up, and then I heard a baby cry." His mum wiped at her eye, holding back the tears. "I ran through, and there you were. My little rabbit."

Dany's heart pounded, his nose twitching as his stomach churned. He wasn't a were-rabbit, he was a human, an ordinary human.

His dad held his mum tight, reassuring her without words as the tears fell. "We raised you as our own, but we had no idea how to support you, and the longer you spent around humans, the less you shifted."

"We just wanted you to have a good life, we never meant to lie to you." His mum reached out to hold his hand and he felt tears welling in up in his eyes, his nose still twitching as he took it all in.

Dany knew that he'd had a good life, but he still felt like his world had fallen apart.

"I'm going for a walk." Dany didn't know what else to say. He headed off down the beach, out of sight as he tried to process it all.

The waves crashed against the beach, the smell of salt in the air. Dany saw something move in the water, getting closer, and he watched with fascination as a merman hopped out. His blond hair was perfect even though he'd just got out of the water, and his tail was a mesmerising shade of azure blue. Dany's eyes were drawn to a large tattoo on his chest, and he was amazed as he used his tail to bounce up the beach before pulling a pair of sunglasses out of where a pocket would be if he was wearing clothes, except he wasn't wearing any.

The merman folded his arms behind his head, laying out in the sun as Dany stared at him.

"Are you going to come and say hi? Or are you just going to stare?" The merman had the cheekiest grin on his face, and he pushed his sunglasses up on his head so that he could drag his eyes over Dany.

Dany blushed, he thought about running away, but he had nowhere to go, and it seemed rude after he'd been staring so openly. He wandered up to where the merman was lying in the sun, sitting down next to him as the merman propped himself up on his elbows.

"I'm Kevin."

"Dany." He couldn't help but stare at Kevin's tail as it swished, shimmering in the light. Dany reached out to touch it, before wondering if it was rude and snapping his hand away.

"It's okay, you can touch it." Kevin's grin shone out, and he led Dany's hand to run over his scales. They felt softer than Dany imagined, dry now that Kevin was on the land, and Dany let out a little gasp when he felt the scales ripple, as though Kevin was shivering in the breeze.

"I didn't know that you had pockets," Dany said, nodding at Kevin's sunglasses.

Kevin laughed, it was soft and breathless, just like his voice. "They're technically air pouches, for when I want to surface, but they're also the idea size for sunglasses." Kevin laughed again, his bright blue eyes shining out.

"Handy," Dany said, not sure what else to say. Kevin was some sight laid out on the sand, and he was a nice distraction from all his other worries. "Do you live under this sea?"

"No, I'm just visiting relatives in Atlantis." Kevin smiled, batting his eyelashes at Dany. "But then I saw this cute guy walking along the beach and I knew that I had to come up and say hi."

"I'm not cute." Dany smiled, his nose twitching as he felt his cheeks burn.

"You are cute," Kevin said, and Dany blushed some more, shaking his head as he tried to make sense of everything.

"I'm a mess, that's what I am." Dany let his head fall down into his hands, and Kevin shuffled closer, wrapping an arm around him.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"My boyfriend left me, and my parents forgot to tell me that I'm a were-rabbit." Dany let out a groan, but Kevin only held him tighter.

"He's an idiot. And you are what you are, you always have been, even if you didn't know it." Kevin stroked Dany's hair back into place, and Dany felt overwhelmed by his kindness.

The tears started to fall, and Kevin held him, the smell of the ocean calming him, and he reached down to stroke at his scales. Kevin squirmed as though he was ticklish.

"Sorry, didn't mean to tickle you." Dany felt so awkward, but Kevin's smile put him at ease.

"It's not ticklish, it's just a sensitive area." Kevin winked, grin on his face.

"Oh… ohhh. I'm so sorry." Dany held his hands up, keeping them clear of Kevin's scales. "I didn't realise you had… that bit, when you didn't have your legs."

Kevin let out a soft laugh, amused and forgiving at the same time. "I still have 'that bit' when I have my tail, but it's hidden in a pouch, so that it's not just hanging out all the time."

"Sorry." Dany felt his cheeks burn, it wasn't the flirty kind of blush, but a burning desire not to be so awkward. "I have recently realised that I have a lot of gaps in my knowledge regarding other cultures."

Kevin dragged Dany back into a hug, his lips kissing the side of his neck and Dany let out the breath that he'd been holding. Dany pulled back, and Kevin was staring into his eyes, his lips moist and glinting in the sunlight.

Dany leant in for a kiss, tasting the salt on Kevin's lips as he deepened the kiss, his hands stroking his back as he tried to avoid Kevin's sensitive spots, and Kevin shuffled closer, his crotch pressing against Dany's leg as he took Dany's hand, leading it down his body. Dany broke the kiss, letting his hand stroke across Kevin's scales.

"You know I don't normally do this on a first date," Kevin said with a laugh, sitting back so that Dany could see him move his scales out of the way, revealing his cock. He led Dany's hand to it, and Dany hesitated before wrapping his fingers around his cock.

Kevin dragged him back into a passionate kiss, as Kevin he gasped and moaned, but Dany was still just holding his cock, not sure of what to do.

Dany went back in for another kiss, the feeling of Kevin's hard cock in his hand made him braver, and he let out a moan, his tongue teasing at Kevin's lips as he waited for Kevin to relax. He started with gentle strokes, but each moan had him upping the pace, his thumb swiping over the tip as his cock leaked.

Kevin gasped as he came, parting his lips and Dany dipped his tongue into his mouth, devouring each gasp and moan as warm come dribbled over his hand.

He glanced down at his hand, covered in come that had a lilac shimmer to it, sparkling in the sunlight. Dany licked at his hand, the salty taste giving him a rush, and Kevin's eyes were wide as he watched him clean up.

"You have very talented paws," Kevin said, grin on his face as he tucked his cock away, gasping as he arranged his scales back over it.

They stared at each other, grinning like idiots and Dany wondered if Carlos had known that this would happen when he gave him _The Little Mermaid_ as his holiday reading.

A wave crashed against the beach, splashing them both, the tide had been creeping closer to them while they were occupied. Dany thought that he heard someone talking, but Kevin hadn't said a word.

"Dany!"

"Oh god that's my parents." Dany's nose twitched and he felt the urge to thump his feet.

"I think that's my cue to leave," Kevin said, leaning in to kiss Dany on the nose. "I'll see you at sunrise tomorrow?"

Dany nodded and Kevin dashed towards the water, his tail shimmering in the light as he headed out to sea.

His mum rushed over to him, holding him tight as she said sorry over and over again. Dany noticed the lilac sparkle to his hand and it brought a smile to his face, if it hadn't been for all of this, he would have never got to meet Kevin the merman.

"I'm okay, I just needed a little time to think." Dany sat back so that he could see both his parents. "It was just a shock, but I've realised that I'm still me, I'm still your little rabbit."

Tears streamed down his mum's face as she nodded. "No matter what, you will always be my little rabbit."

They walked back along the beach, Dany keeping an eye on the sea in case he saw Kevin, but there was no sign of him.

That night his mum told him all about what he got up to as a little rabbit, including all the books that he chewed and cables that he destroyed. His dad showed him a picture of his mum holding a young rabbit, him, and Dany looked at it with fascination.

"Thank you for saving me." Dany felt tears run down his face, he had never felt so grateful to have parents like his, the sort of people who had taken in a child when they didn't have to and raised him like their own, surrounding him with love.

*

The next morning Dany was woken by the sun peeking over the horizon, and he put on his running shoes and left a note saying that he was going for a run before breakfast.

He jogged down to the spot where he'd seen Kevin before, and there he was, sunglasses on, bathing in the early morning sunlight with a grin on his face.

"Morning, I wasn't sure if I'd see you again," Kevin said, smiling at Dany as he took of his shades.

"I'm only here for a few more days, but I'll take all the time that I can get with you." Dany sat down next to him, leaning in for a kiss as he let his hands roam down Kevin's back, resting at the top of his scales.

Kevin moved to sit on his lap, and Dany lay back on the sand, not breaking the kiss as his tongue slid into Kevin's mouth, leaving him gasping as Kevin rubbed up against him. Dany let out a moan and Kevin's hands teased at the elastic of his jogging bottoms. Kevin pulled back, licking at his lips as he slid down so that he was level with the bulge, glancing around before pulling his jogging bottoms down, exposing his cock to the cool sea breeze, sending a chill over his body.

Dany let out a groan as Kevin's soft lips wrapped around his cock, and Dany reached out to stroke at Kevin's soft hair, amazed how silky it felt as Kevin's big blue eyes stared up at him, making sure that he was enjoying it.

Kevin took all of him into his mouth and Dany came with a gasp. If he hadn't seen how quickly Kevin had come yesterday he'd have felt embarrassed about it, but when he looked down he saw only happiness on Kevin's face.

Dany held Kevin close until the sun was high in the sky, telling him all the stories of what he did as a little rabbit, and Kevin told him about his day job.

"I'm in the Navy." Kevin smiled when he saw the surprise on Dany's face. "Being able to breathe underwater is a very useful skill."

Dany wondered what special skills were-rabbits had, and if there was a job that he was suited to. He'd never meant to spend so long working in the coffee shop, and now that he'd broken up with Dan, he wasn't sure if he still wanted to be working there.

But what was he good at? That was something that he was going to have to figure out.

*

Four days passed quickly, Dany was grateful for the time with his parents, and in hindsight, he was glad that they had picked now to tell him, so that he'd had a chance to adjust to it all before he had to go back and face reality. He'd told them about Dan, and now that he knew what he was, it didn't seem like such a loss anymore. If Dan would judge him on superficial facts, then he wasn't someone that he wanted to be with.

Dany was lying out on the beach with Kevin, caught up in his thoughts as his brow furrowed.

"Want to talk about it?" Kevin asked, stroking at the side of Dany's face.

"Will I see you again?" Dany asked, he wasn't sure how he could get in touch with a merman. Did phones work underwater?

Kevin took out a phone from one of his pouches, and Dany raised an eyebrow. "It's waterproof. Obviously."

They exchanged numbers and Dany said goodbye, not sure if he would ever hear from Kevin again, but he was glad for the time that they'd got together, even if this was all that he got.


	2. Rescued

"How was your holiday?" Carlos asked, he had made Dany a coffee, but the bitter smell to it made his stomach churn.

"Crazy."

"Tell me everything," Carlos said, and Dany sat down his coffee cup, focusing on his inner rabbit.

Dany was being smothered by his shirt and he couldn't figure his way out, Carlos had made this look so easy. He started to chew his way out, and then Carlos lifted the shirt off him.

"That is some magic trick." Carlos petted him, stroking his nose, and Dany lightly grated his teeth in appreciation. It felt so pleasant, the slight crackle of static making his fur stand on end as Carlos stroked him. And then he felt his nose twitch.

Dany sneezed, and he was human again, sitting naked on Carlos' sofa. He pulled his shirt over his lap, and Carlos smiled before trying to put on a serious face.

"It's not a trick. I'm a were-rabbit." Dany looked at Carlos, waiting for him to say something. Carlos knew a lot more about this, and he was hoping that he would have some reassuring words.

"Woah." Carlos sipped at his coffee, shaking his head as he looked at Dany.

"Yeah." Dany told Carlos the whole story, and Carlos listened, his hand resting on his arm as he made comforting noises. "And that's not the craziest thing."

"You're a were-rabbit and that's not the craziest thing?"

"I met a merman called Kevin and I gave him a hand job." Dany paused as he took a breath. "And I've got his number."

"Wow." Carlos laughed hysterically, doubling over as he clutched at his stomach, tears running down his face as he gasped for air.

Dany used the time to scurry to the bathroom, getting dressed as the sound of Carlos laughing echoed around the flat. He returned to Carlos grinning, the occasional spot of laughter still erupting.

"You met a merman named Kevin?" Carlos sniggered before taking a deep breath.

"That's what you found so funny?" Dany shook his head. "Did you know that they have a pouch for their bits when they have their tail?"

"Yes, and their semen looks like something you'd find in a snow globe." Carlos stuck his tongue out, flicking his hair back over his shoulder as he stared at Dany.

Dany's eyes went wide. "How do you know that?"

"Books, the internet, and fellow magicians." Carlos smiled. "You might want to read up about merpeople if you're thinking of dating one."

"Speaking of books, did you mean to leave me _The Little Mermaid_?"

"Yes, it was either that or _Moby Dick_." Carlos laughed, and Dany shook his head. He rushed over to his bookshelf, filled with a mix of books, centuries old leather bound books nestled next to an illustrated copy of _The Velveteen Rabbit_ , which brought a smile to Dany's face.

Carlos found out a new looking book, its glossy cover had a picture of merpeople from around the world, and Dany waited for Carlos to hand it to him. "Thank you."

"It's one of the best books on modern merpeople culture." Carlos went back to the bookshelf, smiling as he ran his fingers over the books, stopping when he came across the book that had caught Dany's eye earlier. "My parents used to read this to me when I was little, but I think you should have it now."

Dany smiled, stifling a yawn as he put the books into his bag. "Thank you, for everything."

"What are friends for?" Carlos gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, holding him tight until he let out a little squeak.

*

Dany drove back from Carlos' place, glad that he had someone to talk to here. It was just getting dark and he saw something scurry across the road. He slammed the brakes on, his headlights focusing on a squirrel that looked at him before running off into the woods.

Dany took a deep breath, glad that he stopped in time, with his newfound rabbit-ness he was now worried about hitting any small furry creatures with his car.

He got home without any other near misses, and he slept soundly, the exhaustion of all the travelling catching up with him.

***

The look on his colleagues' faces as he wandered into work said it all, and he knew that this day was about to get worse.

He was ushered into the little office at the back, and he felt numb when he heard the words. "There's been a customer complaint, we're going to have to let you go."

Dany knew which customer it was, he'd never have thought Dan could sink so low, but apparently he could. All to spare himself the embarrassment of seeing his ex when he came in for his daily coffee.

His nose twitched and Dany shook his head, there was no point arguing.

The summer sun blinded him as he stepped out of the coffee shop, glad to be able to turn his back on the place, but worried as to what he would do now. He headed to the park, clearing his head and enjoying the breeze, when he saw what looked like tasty dandelions.

Dany glanced around, the park was quiet and the bushes were a reasonable size for him to duck behind, he took off his top, focusing on his inner rabbit as the bushes rushed up to tower over him. He stood on his hind legs, sniffing at the sweet smell of the grass in the air, before wandering out towards to the bright yellow flowers.

It took him a while to get used to being able to see all around him, and the perspective from being so low to the ground was jarring. He'd gone from being 182 centimetres to 18.2 and he felt small and vulnerable.

He sniffed at the dandelion before taking a bite, it was satisfying and he found himself eating greedily, filling his furry tummy with all the dandelions that he could find.

_At least I don't have to worry about how I'll afford food._

The grass felt good under his paws and the breeze ruffled his fur in a pleasing way. Dany was munching without paying attention when he felt a pain in his tongue. He stepped back and saw the thistle that he'd just eaten by accident, and he tried to pull the prickle out of his mouth using his paws, but it was no use. He let his mouth hang open, his whiskers twitching as he stuck his tongue out.

_Time to be human again._

Dany snuck behind the bushes, turning back into a human and quickly getting dressed. Now that he had his human hands he could pull the thistle out of his tongue. He was going to have to pay more attention when he was eating.

He scurried home, feeling better about things now that he was pleasingly full of dandelions. Dany thought about looking for a new job, but he had earned a day off after everything that had happened. He made himself comfy on the sofa, reaching out for the book that Carlos had given him, and skipped straight to the section on Northern European merpeople.

It was a fascinating read, and he wondered how he'd ignored all this stuff in school, when it was so interesting. Although he knew the answer to that, now that he'd met Kevin it made all of it more relatable, and the fact that he wanted a relationship with him, meant that he had a good reason to learn.

His stomach rumbled and he realised that it had got late, he knew that he should go and eat something, dandelions alone weren't enough to keep him going. He looked in the fridge, and realised that he didn't have a lot of food in there, he'd headed straight to Carlos' last night, and he was so tired that he hadn't thought about going shopping. There were a few vegetables left, and his inner rabbit was telling him that they looked tasty.

He ended up sitting in the garden that he shared with the other flats, eating his salad as the sun started to cast long shadows over him, ducking behind the trees as it prepared to set. There was a nice breeze, but then he felt a twitch in his leg, a short stabbing pain.

Dany took a deep breath, and then he was being smothered by his shirt, trying to stay calm as he wriggled his way out of it. He shook himself once he was free of his clothes, scratching at his ear as he wondered why he'd changed into a rabbit now, he hadn't been thinking of anything rabbit related, but he could just slink behind the trees and change back. Hopefully none of his neighbours would be watching he did it.

He thought about being human again, but it was no use, he still had paws and whiskers. Dany tried to change back until the sun started to set, and he thumped his feet, letting out a little grunt in frustration before admitting defeat.

_I know, I'll call Carlos, he'll be able to help._

Dany hopped over to where his clothes were, and he was glad that his jeans had fallen on to the floor, all he had to do was get his phone out of his pocket. He nudged at it with his nose, hoping that it would slide the phone out, but it wouldn't budge. Crawling around to where the opening of the pocket was, he tried to grab the material in his teeth so that he could chew his phone free.

A shadow moved over him and Dany froze, his rabbit instincts kicking in, and he had to remind himself that he was safe, that he could turn back into a human if he wanted to. He tried to shift back into his human form but he just ended up shaking his head and flicking his feet.

_You can do this, rabbits love chewing things, you can get the phone._

Dany chewed away at the thick denim, using his paws to hold one side of it so that he could get a better grip, and he felt relief wash through his tiny rabbit body when he heard the material rip. His phone was there for the taking, and then he realised that there was one little flaw in his plan.

_How do I work it with paws?_

Dany tried tapping at the screen with his paws, but it was no use, it was a touchscreen designed for fingers, not claws. He wanted to groan out loud, but it came out as a little huffy sound.

_What do I do now?_

Although it was dark, his vision seemed sharper than ever, and he realised that it wasn't far to Carlos' flat, he could walk there, it would be easy.

Five minutes later, Dany realised that walking over a mile as a rabbit was tiring. He hadn't even made the end of the street yet, and everything was so much taller and noisier than him. Every noise sent him into a panic, and he crawled along the wall, cursing his rabbit vision that meant he could see all around him, everything looked scary now and he just wanted to close his eyes and make it all go away.

Dany felt the ground rumble, it sounded ominous and he froze, right in time to be hit by a suitcase on wheels. He was stunned and it took him a minute to get his bearings, but the person who'd bumped into him was still standing there.

"I am so sorry." The voice was loud and booming and the owner of it was looming over him as he tried to hobble away, but it was no use, his paw hurt and every time it touched the floor he felt pain shoot through his body.

"Are you a were-rabbit?" they asked, but Dany was too exhausted to change, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to end up naked in the street. The person crouched down and reached out a hand, stroking his nose as he shook.

_What am I going to do now? I'm hurt and scared and stuck in my rabbit form._

"Let's get you to Animal Rescue, they'll be able to help you." The person picked him up, and Dany resisted the urge to scratch and bite, this was his best chance of getting help. He could see the person better now, they had thick dark hair and golden skin, and a loud booming voice, although Dany was sure that it was his more sensitive rabbit ears making it sound louder.

Animal Rescue sounded good, they took in injured animals and were-animals, and helped them, although if he couldn't change back into his human form himself, he wasn't sure how much use they were going be, but at least he wasn't going to be left on the street.

It didn't take long for Dany to be checked in at Animal Rescue. "I'm sorry, I hope you feel better soon." The person waved goodbye as they left, leaving Dany in a little room, high up on a table.

He bobbed his head up and down, and from the way that the images moved, he could tell that he was approximately a metre off the ground. Dany was surprised how clever his rabbit brain was, and he realised that harebrained wasn't the insult people thought it was.

_I could jump down, but my paw still hurts, and I've never jumped in this body before, what if I mess it up?_

A man in a white lab coat appeared as Dany was hanging over the edge of the table, and he stroked Dany's shoulders before taking a look at his injured paw. His name tag said Checo, and his thick glasses combined with Dany's rabbit vision made his eyes look strange.

"We don't see many rabbits in here." Checo said, as he inspected his paw.

Dany saw blood on it, and then he felt a stabbing pain in his paw. He took his paw back, and Checo went to get a bit of cotton to clean it up.

"It's just a couple of broken claws, and a grazed foot, but it will heal, little one."

Dany flinched as the antiseptic hit his skin, wondering if this would be enough to jar him back into his human form but every time he tried he got nothing.

Checo waved what looked like a black box over him, and he sat very still, wondering what it was for.

"No microchip, so you're a wild one eh?" Checo laughed at his own joke and Dany curled himself into a ball, looking around for some way out.

Checo picked him up and carried him through to a room filled with cages, and Dany felt his little rabbit heart beat so fast that he started to panic that he would have a heart attack. The second that the door shut he felt the urge to be human again, and he cursed the timing of it.

_You have to stay a rabbit now, you're fine as a rabbit. There's hay and kibbles, and you're safe._

Checo went and switched the lights off, leaving him in the dark, and Dany could make out a few other creatures in some of the other cages. He curled up in to a ball, hoping that morning would come quickly.

Dany was woken from his nap with a jolt, Checo was back, and he had someone with him. A tall man with dark hair, and Dany shuffled forwards in his cage so that he could get a better view.

"Puberty plays havoc with shifting," Checo said, leading the other person to a cage that had a red squirrel in it.

The second that the door was open the squirrel ran out and climbed up into the man's arms, clinging to him as Checo left the room. Dany watched with fascination as the squirrel scurried down before turning back into a teenager, standing awkwardly as he accepted the jogging bottoms and hoodie from the older man. There was a familial resemblance and Dany wished that he had someone who knew that he was missing.

Checo came back through, smile on his face when he saw the were-squirrel now in human form. "All good?"

"Yes, thank you." The were-squirrel and his rescuer wandered past Dany's cage and he thumped his feet, relieved when the man came over, peering into his cage. There was something about him that looked familiar but Dany couldn't place it.

_Please, you have to help me. I'm a were-rabbit and I'm trapped here!_

"Is this one looking for a home?" the man asked, and Dany felt relief flood through his body, he was going to be free.

"He's a new arrival, we've got to keep him for a week in case his owner comes forward."

Dany thumped when he heard that, hoping that his thumps would convey his fear, but they all left, leaving Dany in the dark as he wondered if he could manage a week in rabbit form.


	3. Jail Break

"Did you get Will back?" Alex asked, and Jo wandered through to the living room so that he could see a sheepish looking Will, back in his human form.

Marcus cheered and rushed over for a hug, but Jo wasn't as happy. "I have to go back, there's a were-rabbit trapped in a cage there."

"If that was true they'd have shifted back when Animal Rescue took them in," Alex said, making room for Will on the sofa.

"I don't know why they didn't but I'm going back to free them."

Jo turned to leave and Marcus looked at Alex, his eyes pleading with him to help. "I'll go with you, it'll be easier if there's two of us."

Alex followed Jo back to his car, a small sensible four door, he didn't need anything more for the city. The low sunlight made everything look like it was on fire, surrounded by an orange haze.

Jo didn't say much, and Alex waited until they were on the road to ask, "How do you know that he's a were-rabbit?"

"The other night, I was running across the road, and I wasn't paying attention." Jo bit his lip as Alex gasped, it was the number one rule for small were-animals, be careful when crossing the road. All little were-animals had it drilled in to them, and it didn't hurt for when they were in their human form either.

"The headlights dazzled me but the car stopped, and I saw the driver." Jo pulled up outside Animal Rescue, and Alex waited for him to say something. "Then earlier today I saw him, he was in the park and I was going to go and say thank you but then he changed into his rabbit form."

"Wow, you really do owe him. Let's go rescue the rabbit." Alex changed in the blink of an eye, wriggling out of his jumper as he climbed out of the gap in the window, Jo following suit as they scurried towards the letter box.

Alex slunk through without batting an eyelid, but Jo felt like his entire body was being squished, the bristles ruffling his fur, and he landed on the floor with a thud.

 _That was not fun_ , Jo said, twitching his whiskers as Alex laughed.

_You're a chubby squirrel._

_Thanks mate._ Jo rolled his eyes, quite a trick when in squirrel form.

_You're also the only person I know who's sarcastic even when they only have their whiskers to communicate._

Jo stuck his tongue out, but it wasn't the time for this, they had to get their were-rabbit out before he shifted back in the cage. There was space for it, but he wouldn't be comfortable.

They scurried through to the room with the cages, the door handles were thankfully squirrel friendly, the lever kind rather than the round ones. Jo climbed up to where the rabbit was being held, and instead of fear, he saw only relief.

_Don't worry, we're here to rescue you._

Jo tried chewing at the padlock but it was thick metal and finding the keys would be the quickest way. He changed back into his human form, hoping that there weren't security cameras.

The rattle of the bars startled Jo back into action, the rabbit was trying to chew his way out. Alex whistled as Jo walked away, and he wiggled his hips as he walked, bending down so that he could root around in the desk drawers for the keys.

He returned with the keys, and Alex had stopped laughing when Jo opened the cage, picking up the rabbit and holding him against his chest.

"Jo, are you sure that he's a were-rabbit?" Alex asked, stroking Dany's nose as he stared at him.

*

Dany was frantic when he heard the sound of tiny footsteps scurrying around. His first thought was that one of his fellow captives had got free, but then he heard the clang of claws on metal, and a grey squirrel was peering in.

He stepped closer, his ears angled forward as he tried to say help me over and over again.

_Don't worry, we're here to rescue you._

Dany felt his heart rate slow a little, but he wasn't sure how a squirrel was going to be able to free him. And then the squirrel turned into a person. It was the same man as earlier, the one who'd picked up the teenage were-squirrel, and he wondered how he knew that he wasn't just a rabbit, but that didn't matter, all that mattered was that he got free.

His friend turned into a skinny blond man, laughing as the man walked away, and Dany watched as he headed through to the office.

The man returned with the keys, and Dany wanted to cry with relief, but his rabbit body didn't seem cut out for it. He bobbed his head up and down, figuring out that he was too high up to jump down, and the man picked him up, holding him close as Dany thought about being back in his human form.

"Jo, are you sure that he's a were-rabbit?" his friend asked, and Dany felt his nose twitch.

He turned back into his human form, while still being held in Jo's arms, and he cried out as Dany knocked him to the floor, landing on top of him.

Dany lay stunned, crushing Jo as he blinked, readjusting to having his human limbs. His friend let out a manic laugh, clutching his sides as tears started to fall down his cheeks.

"Alex, a little help?" Jo said, and Dany stumbled as he tried to stand up. "It's okay, don't try and stand just yet, take a minute to get used to being human again."

Alex laughed and helped Dany sit up on the floor, neither of them batting an eyelid about being naked.

Dany felt his cheeks burn, and Jo looked at Alex. "I'm going to get the clothes out of the car, you make sure there's no record of…"

"Dany." He thought about putting his hand out to shake, but since they were covering his bits, he was sure that they could probably skip that formality now.

Alex turned back into a squirrel, picking up the keys in his mouth before scurrying off, and Jo stood up, heading towards the office where all the paperwork was.

Dany stood slowly, the floor appeared so far away, making him dizzy just from standing, and all of his limbs felt like someone else was in control of them. He followed Jo, still unsteady on his feet, and he saw Jo flicking through the folder that Checo had written in earlier when he'd fixed his paw.

He looked down at his hand and saw two broken nails, and his hand was bruised and scraped.

"Rabbit, injured paw, no microchip." Jo read out, grabbing a pen as he scribbled in next to it – collected by owner.

Dany could only stand and stare as he Jo put everything back where he found it, the padlock and key stowed away in the drawer where the other locks were. Hopefully there was more than one person who worked here, although if the writing on the admission list was anything to go by, there were several people who were responsible for recording which animals were dropped off and picked up.

"You should get a microchip, it's useful at times like this, lets them know who your emergency contacts are," Jo said, glancing out of the door to see where Alex was.

"Can they track you with it?" Dany asked, he'd never had to think about these things.

"No," Jo said, shaking his head as he let out a little laugh, "It's like an ID card that you can carry when you don't have pockets. They use a scanner to read the information, but it only works close up."

Dany nodded, that was the thing that Checo had waved over him, he was checking to see if he had a microchip.

A little bell rang as the door opened and there was the sound of the lock being clicked shut. Dany was on alert, his ears primed for every little noise but then Alex appeared, fully clothed, and carrying a bag.

Jo sat the bag down on the table, handing Dany a pair of jogging bottoms and a hoodie. He nudged Alex so that he would turn around and Dany scrambled into the clothes.

"Let's go," Alex said, once Dany was dressed, "And you can put the keys back, those bristles on the letterbox are a nightmare to climb through."

"Fine." Jo rolled his eyes, and from what Dany had seen he was the bigger squirrel, so he was going to have to squeeze to get through the door.

Alex led him to the car and Jo changed into his squirrel form, following them out as Alex locked up. Jo took the keys in his mouth as Alex held the letterbox open. He had to wriggle a lot to get through, and he landed in a heap on the floor before heading back to the office to return the keys.

Jo made sure all the lights were switched off, he was quick in his squirrel form, and then he was fighting his way through the bristles and scurrying into Alex's arms. Dany tried not to look as Jo changed back into his human form in the driver's seat, intently studying the floor of the car as Jo wriggled into his jeans and hoodie.

"Do you have someone you need to call?" Alex asked, handing him a phone.

"Thanks," Dany said, typing in Carlos' number as he took a deep breath, finally relaxing now that he was free of the cage and back in his human form.

The phone rang, but his relief was short lived when he heard – _I am unavailable due to a magical emergency._

There were details of who to call if he needed help with something magical, but it would be someone at the shop where Carlos worked that answered. He was sure that his own phone would have a detailed message of what Carlos was up to, but it was still at home. Dany let out a little groan before handing the phone back to Alex.

"No answer?" Jo asked, and Dany shook his head.

"My friend, Carlos, he's a magician, and there's been an emergency." Dany felt his stomach twist, he had no-one else

"Do you have anyone else you can call?" Alex looked at him with his big blue eyes, smile on his face as he waited for an answer.

"Not here." Dany fidgeted with his hands, a couple of weeks ago he'd have called Dan, but he would rather deal it with it all alone than call him.

"You should really stay with someone for the next couple of days, just until you figure out why you got stuck in your rabbit form."

"I'm new at all this, I haven't figured out how to control it yet." Dany shrugged, he was sure it would get easier, there were lots of were-animals all over the planet that coped with it, and Animal Rescue had procedures in place for them for when things did go wrong.

"How old are you?" Jo asked, and Dany could hear the worry in his voice, he knew that he looked younger than he was, his beard was yet to grow in, although he had a nice thick coat in his rabbit form.

"Twenty-two."

"And you've only just started transforming?" Alex said, the surprise evident in his voice, but Jo glared at him and he mumbled his apologies.

"Well, I didn't know I was a were-rabbit until last week."

"Oh." Alex looked apologetic, his face seemed to broadcast every emotion, although Dany wasn't sure if that was just because he was used to communicating without words. "I'm sorry."

Dany told them the story of how his parents found him, and they both offered their sympathies. It was strange telling them, the only other person who knew apart from his family was Carlos, and he was like family to Dany.

"We'll take you home, you can grab a few things, and then you can come stay with me for a few days," Jo said, "Are you working this weekend?"

"No. I got 'let go'," Dany said, the sarcasm clear in his voice, but he didn't feel like telling them that story. He just needed to lick his wounds for a while.

Dany's place was quiet, unsurprising considering the hour, and he went to the garden to retrieve his clothes. There was a long message on his phone from Carlos, saying that he'd had to go deal with a genie-in-training who was unable to control his powers, and that he'd hopefully be back in a week.

He stuffed a few things into a bag, grabbing the book that Carlos had given him, he was going to have a lot of time for reading now.

His stomach grumbled as they got into the car, and Dany realised that he hadn't really eaten a lot today, but nothing had seemed appealing. The rest of the journey was spent in silence, until they pulled up outside a nice block of flats.

"Thank you for helping me," Dany said, he wasn't sure why Jo and Alex were being so kind to him, but he was glad to have someone looking out for him.

"We have to look out for each other," Alex said, reaching around to hold Dany's hand. It made sense, he was supposed to have grown up as part of a big community, everyone taking care of each other.

"I live with my boyfriend, Marcus," Jo said, and Dany smiled, he could do with being around people right now. "If he shows you his favourite stone, please tell him it's a nice stone, he's very proud of that stone."

"It's an otter thing," Alex said, laughing as Dany nodded. He was grateful for the heads up.

He followed Jo and Alex into the building, it was an older style building, with steep steps and a wrought iron banister. The flat itself was bigger than Dany's but very similar in style, lots of beige and furniture that didn't quite match, although this place looked much more like a home than his own place.

Jo showed him to the spare room first, pointing out the bathroom on the way. He handed clean towels to Dany, neatly folded with a hint of lavender on them. "I'm going to order pizza. There's plasters in the bathroom for your hand." Jo rested his hand on his shoulder, there was something about his voice that was reassuring.

"Thank you." Dany wasn't particularly hungry, but he knew that he had to eat. The worst of the pain had subsided in his hand, but he should probably cover the broken nails so he didn't catch them on anything.

The shower made him feel a little more human, and there was something nice about the sound of happy voices filling the flat. He bundled himself up in comfy clothes, and wandered through to the living room, where the little squirrel was sitting on the sofa, next to a blond man, who had to be Marcus.

Jo wandered through with a tray of cups, the smell of coffee wafting in the air, and it made Dany feel at ease. "Coffee? Tea?"

"Coffee, thanks," Dany said, as Jo ushered him towards the spare seat, squishing in on the sofa.

"This is Marcus," Jo said, and Dany leant over to shake his hand, "And this tired little squirrel is my baby brother, Will."

"At least I'm not the only one you had to pick up from Animal Rescue today," Will said, sticking his tongue out.

"What are family for?" Jo grinned and Will yawned, accepting a cup of tea with seven sugars in it.

"How are you a grey squirrel, when your brother is a red squirrel?" Dany wasn't sure that he should be asking, but curiosity got the better of him.

"Will takes after our mum, and I look like my dad, in squirrel form anyway." Jo laughed, and Marcus cuddled in to Jo, making himself comfy as Will sipped at his tea.

Jo poured Dany his coffee, heaping sugar into it as Dany looked on in horror. Jo held the cup out for Dany to take, but he held his hands up. "I don't take sugar."

"You do today," Jo said, and his voice said that there would be no arguments, it was the same one that his parents used when something was for his own good. "Changing forms takes a lot of energy, in addition to whatever your body normally uses. What have you eaten today?"

"Dandelions, a bit of salad, and some kibbles." Dany shook his head, it was no wonder that he got stuck in rabbit form, he was just lucky that animal rescue had fed him, otherwise he'd still be stuck like that.

"Drink, and you'll feel better."

Dany felt the sugar surge through his veins, the coffee helping him feel less tired, and he managed to smile.

"Pizza's on its way, and a good night's sleep will see you both right." Jo smiled, and Dany was sure that he had been put in the little brother category. Jo reached out to hold Marcus' hand, Will curled up between them, and they looked like the perfect family.

There was a knock on the door and Alex leapt up, running towards the door like a hyperactive squirrel. The smell of pizza filled the flat, and Dany felt his stomach rumble at the scent of warm bread and gooey cheese.

Jo checked what was in each box, handing one to Marcus and another to Will, and they both ate quickly. Jo let Dany see what was in the other boxes, there was one covered with vegetables and jalapenos, another with pepperoni, and a plain cheese pizza, which definitely seemed like the safest bet.

Dany took out a slice, sniffing it before nibbling at the corner.

"I can get you something else, there's an abundance of takeaways around here," Jo said, and Dany tried to figure out what he wanted, but his mind was coming up blank.

"I've not been very hungry lately, and I'm not sure rabbits are meant to eat pizza." Dany hung his head, putting the half eaten slice of pizza down.

"Come with me," Alex said, holding his hand out for Dany to take. He led Dany to a full-length mirror in the hall, and stood next to him. "See that human, he needs human food."

"Okay."

"Just because you wouldn't eat something in your rabbit form, that's not a reason to stop eating it in your human form." Alex waited for him to nod before taking him back to the living room.

He pointed at Jo as he stuffed a slice of pizza stacked with spicy meat and jalapenos. "See this spicy pizza, no squirrel would eat chillies. Although no-one, otter or not, should be eating pizza with kebab meat on it."

Marcus laughed, and Dany licked his lips at the sound of it. "Would you like some?" Marcus held out the box and Dany took a slice, it was piled high with meat and cheese, and the first bite was like heaven.

Dany let out a little groan, devouring the slice of pizza as he reached out to take another. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten anything so satisfying in his human form, and he realised that he had to start taking much better care of himself.

He ate until he was stuffed, and there were only a few crusts lying scattered in boxes as everyone else looked equally content. Will stretched and yawned, and Marcus' eyes were half open.

"I should be going," Alex said, standing up to leave, "I'll see you Sunday at the match." Alex gave Dany a hug, until he let out a little squeak. "I'll see you about, little rabbit."

Everyone mumbled goodbye, all clearly tired after their day. Will wandered off to bed after hugging his brother, and Marcus sprawled out across the sofa, resting his head on Jo's lap as he reached out to hold his hand.

Dany wasn't tired, but he wasn't sure if he should leave them alone, he thought about moving, when Jo went off to get another cup of tea, and he brought through a mug of hot chocolate for Dany.

He snuggled in under Marcus, their fingers intertwined the second that he'd got comfy. Jo sipped at his tea, and Dany sniffed at the hot chocolate, even though he was full his body was still telling him that he needed the energy.

"How did you two meet?" Dany asked, he couldn't think of anything else to talk about that wouldn't lead to the fact that he was unemployed, and had recently been through a bad break up.

Marcus smiled, and sat up a little, not letting go of Jo's hand as he cuddled into his side. "I was walking home from work when my favourite stone rolled out of my pocket and into a drain."

"I found him trying to prise the drain open, on the brink of tears as he tried to get his stone back." Jo smiled at Marcus, stroking his hair with his free hand. "I offered to change into my squirrel form to get it back for him."

Marcus laughed and Jo shook his head, smiling as he told the rest of the story. "I squeezed into the drain, luckily the stone hadn't fallen too far, but it was so slimy that I fell into the water before climbing back out with the stone."

"He was cold and wet, and he ran off before I could even say thank you." Marcus looked up at Jo with love in his eyes, and Dany sipped at his hot chocolate so that he wasn't staring as they kissed.

"I ran home, climbing through the letterbox and heading straight for the shower. It wasn't until I stepped out that I realised I'd left my phone and wallet in the street with my clothes."

"I found out his drivers' licence, and went over to his flat to return everything." Marcus was still staring lovingly at Jo, and Dany stared at his hands.

"I'd just made a pot of tea when Marcus showed up at my door with my clothes, and he'd brought sushi round to thank me."

Marcus let out a little squeak, a noise of pure joy. "That was our first date." He was clutching something over his heart, Jo's hand resting over it, and when he saw Dany looking, he held out his hand.

It was a small white stone, blue streaks rippled through it, with a faint gold sparkle in the light. "It's very pretty," Dany said, admiring it as Marcus' pride shone out. "I like the blue swirl."

"Me too." Marcus smiled, and Dany felt at ease. "I've had it ever since I was a little otter." Marcus stroked the stone before tucking it away in his shirt pocket, keeping it near his heart.

"That's lovely." Dany smiled, he had a tatty stuffed rabbit that he'd had since he was a boy, which sat next to his bed now, and every time he saw it he felt loved, even though his family were so far away.

"Do you want to see pictures of my family?" Marcus asked, sitting up so there was space for Dany to sit next to him. Dany shuffled over, sitting next to Marcus he got a whiff of sea air, and it reminded him of Kevin.

"This is my parents, and my two little brothers."

There were two otters holding paws, it seemed to be an otter thing, and two fluffy little otters were balanced on their parents' tummies, they all looked so happy.

Marcus flicked to the next screen, the five of them all in human form, all equally happy. He carried on scrolling until his words were slow, yawns interrupting every sentence, and Jo saw that Dany was asleep on Marcus' shoulder, the exhaustion of the day catching up with him.

Jo thought about going to bed, but it would mean disturbing them, and they both looked so peaceful. He pulled the blanket from the back of the sofa, draping it over them as he reached out to switch the light off.

Dany's nose twitched as he slept, and Marcus' hand automatically found Jo's, even when asleep he just had to hold the paw of the one that he loved.


	4. New Adventures

Dany woke up to a small red squirrel running over his head, scrabbling through his hair as he made his way up to see Jo, crawling over his face until he woke up.

"Morning." Jo blinked a few times and Will kept running around, his claws digging in to Jo's t-shirt as he tried to attract his attention.

Jo's eyes flew open, and he gave Will a stroke on the head. "You're not stuck like that, are you?" Jo looked at him with concern, and Will ran on to the coffee table, before reappearing in his human form.

"See, I can control it." Will looked so proud of himself, and Jo smiled, leaning over for a hug.

"Come on, off the coffee table. I don't want a print of your bum on it."

Dany shrieked with laughter, waking Marcus, and he covered his mouth, but it was no use, Will was laughing too as Jo tried to look unimpressed but failed.

Will wriggled on the coffee table as Jo nodded towards the bedroom, telling him to get dressed without words.

"Fine." Will slunk off before reappearing in joggers and a t-shirt, both of which had holes in them, no doubt caused by claws or teeth.

"I'm going to get everyone breakfast," Jo said, wriggling out from under Marcus, "And there is to be no arguments about eating."

Marcus got his good morning kiss as Will rolled his eyes, and Dany looked down at his hands, the worst of the grazing had healed, and his nails were starting to grow back already.

Dany went to stand up, to give Marcus some space, but he was moving in for a hug, and Will was piling in beside him.

"How are you feeling?" Marcus asked, his stomach grumbling as the smell of coffee filled the flat.

"Much better, thank you." Dany wrapped his arms around Marcus, even though they hadn't know each other for long, there seemed to be a sense of community between all the small were-animals, and he was so grateful for that.

Jo reappeared with a tray, stacked high with food, and Marcus' hand darted out for a piece of toast before Jo had even sat it down on the coffee table.

"You have to eat, okay?" Jo looked between Will and Dany, and Dany knew that Jo definitely thought of him as another baby brother, but with a lack of siblings of his own, or any family in this country apart from Carlos, it wasn't a bad thing. In fact, it was nice just not to be alone, and he realised that if he took Carlos out of the equation, he didn't really have any other friends, and that needed to change.

"Thank you," Dany mumbled, reaching out for a bit of toast. It was warm and buttery and he felt his strength return as he ate.

Jo brought through the hot drinks, coffee with seven sugars a piece for Dany and Will, and Dany felt human again. Well, like his old self again.

They ate while they chatted away, Jo squished on the end of the sofa next to Marcus, and Dany was surprised how normal their day jobs were.

"I'm a business manager," Jo said, sipping at his tea as Marcus laughed.

"It's so boring." Will stuck his tongue out, and Jo tried to reach over to shove Will, but Marcus and Dany were in the way.

"Yes, it's boring. But I like my job, and I'm good at it."

"Because you're boring." Will laughed, and Jo looked like he was about to throw a bit of fruit at him but he thought better of it.

"You know I didn't have to come and get you from Animal Rescue, right?"

Will gasped, and the smile faded from his face. "You wouldn't dare leave me there!"

"I wouldn't." Jo reached out to hold Will's hand. "You know I wouldn't."

Will nodded, the smile back on his face. "I just hope it's the last time you have to come and get me. It would be so embarrassing if it happened while I'm at uni."

"What are you going to study?" Dany asked, mostly out of curiosity, but partly to change the subject to something cheerier.

"Mechanical engineering."

"They don't seem like very squirrelly jobs," Dany said, more thinking out loud than anything else.

"You know, just because you're a were-animal, doesn't mean you have to do anything related to that."

"He's a physio and trainer," Jo said, pointing at Marcus, "And Alex-"

"The skinny squirrel?" Dany asked, and he saw Will grinning out the corner of his eye, as Marcus cuddled in closer to Jo, his eyes half open as though he was preparing to have a nap.

"Yes, the skinny squirrel." Jo stuck his tongue out, teasing him the way he did with Will, and Dany knew that he was part of the family now. "Guess what he does for a living?"

Dany tried to think of things that would be easier for a squirrel, but nothing came to mind. "Erm… locksmith?"

"He works for a travel agency." Jo stared at Dany until he nodded, although his merman had found a way to put his skills to good use, it didn't have to be this way.

"What did you do?" Jo asked, Dany was hoping that he'd have forgotten about what he said in the car, but it seemed like he was just waiting for an appropriate time to bring it up.

"Worked in a coffee shop, it was just meant to be for a little while, save up some money before going to study, but then I just stayed there." Dany shook his head, sipping his coffee so he didn't have to see the pity in anyone's eyes.

"What were you going to study?" Will asked, and Dany felt three pairs of eyes all staring at him, waiting for a response.

"Literature, although the more that I thought about it, the more I wondered what the point was, of studying something where there are very few jobs, especially when I had a good job already." Dany let out a sigh, drinking the last of his coffee as everyone else waited for him to continue. "I'm good with computers but I'm also kind of fascinated by all the different cultures, although given that I don't even know anything about my own culture, that's probably not a clever choice."

Jo was nodding, Marcus was dozing, and Will was scrolling through his phone. Dany thought no-one was listening, but then Marcus spoke.

"You should study whatever you want to, if you're going to do anything for three years you might as well have fun." He snuggled back in to Jo, and Jo nodded in agreement, giving Marcus a kiss on the forehead as his eyes fell closed again.

"Clearing is still open," Will said, "You could study Computing, with Cultural and Social Anthropology on the side."

Will held up his phone, and Dany looked at the details of the course. He had the requirements, although it had been a while since he was at high school, and he felt excited at the thought of doing something new, actually choosing what he wanted to do instead of seeing where life took him.

"It looks good." Dany laughed, it was a crazy story of what had led him here, but he wouldn't change it for the world.

"You go apply for that," Jo said, pointing to a room across the hall, "The computer is in the bedroom, and I'm going to make an appointment for you to get a microchip."

"He's not going to let you leave his sight without one," Will whispered loudly, grinning at Jo.

"I am not, I'd feel awful if anything happened to you." Jo's tone of voice said that they would be no arguments, and Dany burst out laughing.

"Yes, dad." He gave Jo a mock salute, and headed off to the bedroom, filling in the application form for his course.

*

It hadn't taken long for everyone to get ready, and the four of them were heading down to Animal Rescue so that Dany could get microchipped.

Dany felt fear at the smell of the place, the hint of antiseptic mingling with the scent of animals. Big, scary, animals.

"Dany?"

Dany turned to see someone he thought he'd never see again, not now that he'd broken up with Dan. "Esteban?"

"I'm sorry about you and Dan." Esteban looked genuinely sorry, and Dany sat down next to him, the others crowding round as Jo went to chat to the receptionist.

"Sometimes relationships just don't work out," Dany said, with everything else that had gone on in his life lately, he just didn't have the energy to be upset with Dan. He wasn't sure if he ever wanted to speak to Dan again, although he would cross that bridge when he had to.

"How are things with you and Nico?" Dany asked, happy just to change the subject. He could see Marcus and Will staring at him, expecting all the details, but he'd tell them everything later.

"Good. Who are your friends?" Esteban asked, and Dany blushed, he really should have introduced them.

"This is Marcus, Will, and that's Jo." Dany pointed at Jo as he wandered over, making sure that everyone was introduced.

It was awkward, and Dany didn't know what else to say, so he blurted out the first thing that came into his mind. "Are you here picking up one of the cubs?"

"No, my friend, Checo, he's the doctor here, we're going out for lunch." Esteban scratched behind his ear, and Dany felt a stab of pain, he used to think that was cute when he saw Dan do it. "Are you here holding a friend's hand?"

"No." Dany looked around, but there was no point hiding it. "I'm here to get microchipped. It turns out I'm a were-rabbit." Dany held his hands up in surprise, laughing as he heard his name called.

"I'll see you about," Dany said, leaving Esteban looking confused, as the others followed him into the small room.

Checo smiled when he saw them all. "I had some fun watching last night's CCTV, you tripped the silent alarm."

"Oh god." Dany hung his head in shame but Jo only laughed.

"You could have just told me that Dany was a were-rabbit." Checo found out a syringe, and then he attached a needle to it. Just the sight of the needle made Dany feel dizzy, and he wasn't sure that he was going to manage this without fainting.

"It was a crazy story." Jo laughed, and Dany felt his stomach churn.

"This is easier as a rabbit," Checo said, but Dany shook his head.

"I know Esteban's waiting to take you to lunch."

"He can wait." Checo's smile put him at ease, and Dany shrugged off his hoodie before slinking out of his t-shirt. "How do you know Esteban?" Checo asked, his voice soft and reassuring, the way it was when he talked to the animals.

"I used to date one of his pack mates." Dany gasped as the needle pierced his skin, taking a deep breath as he felt the coolness of the liquid.

"Ah."

"Yeah." Dany laughed, covering up the strange feeling as the needle was withdrawn, and Checo put a little plaster over the pinprick.

"All done." Checo wandered over to the computer so that he could take down all of the details of Dany's emergency contacts. In the end he put down Carlos, Jo, and Checo himself offered to be the third, since Dany's family were too far away to be any help in an emergency. "I'm always on call," Checo said with a smile.

"Will we see you at the football tomorrow?" Marcus asked, and Dany rubbed at his shoulder as Jo batted his hand away.

"Sure, Esteban's free too." Checo smiled, clicking done on the microchip form before locking his computer. "Are you going to join us?" Checo asked Dany, and Dany looked at the others for permission.

"Yes, he will be there," Will said with a smile, patting Dany on the shoulder before apologising when he winced in pain.

"Erm…" Dany couldn't tell what kind of animal Checo was, but he could tell that he was definitely some sort of were-animal. If he was part of Esteban's pack surely he would have met him, but there were many packs, and he hadn't been around for long.

"Don't worry, Dan doesn't play _soccer_." Checo smiled, ushering them all to the door. "I'll see you all tomorrow."

Dany waved goodbye to Esteban, watching as he rushed up to hug Checo, and it wasn't until they were nearly back at the flat that he asked the question.

"What kind of were-animal is Checo?" Dany was chewing on the cord for his hoodie, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Will doing the same.

"Mouse." Marcus laughed, and Dany smiled, it did make sense, something about the way noses twitch, even in human form it seemed to be a common factor.

*

Jo and Marcus had made lunch for them all, and they'd offered Dany the spare room for another night, but he just wanted to be home in his own bed.

"We'll see you tomorrow, at eleven." Jo had made sure that Dany had all their contact details, and that he knew he could drop by any time.

"I will be there." Dany gave them all a hug, smile on his face, before he said goodbye. He headed straight for the sofa and made himself comfy, before realising that his shoulder was still sore, and electing to curl up in bed.

He took out his phone, he couldn't remember the last time that he checked it, and he saw a new message, but not from Carlos.

It was a picture of legs, and it took him a minute to realise why someone would send him a photo of their legs.

_Thought you'd like to see what they look like without the scales ;D_

Kevin had very nice legs, he was clearly sitting in bed somewhere, and Dany laughed as he hit the call button, sure that telling Kevin all about his adventures would scare him off.

Kevin listened to it all patiently, making lots of sympathetic little noises, and at the end of it he said something completely unexpected.

"I wish I could have been by your side. I'd probably have been lousy at rescuing you though, my teeth aren't really meant for chewing bars."

Dany could hear Kevin smile, and he felt warm and fuzzy inside. That night he drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face, and for the first time in a long while, he felt content.


	5. Happily Ever After

Dany was up bright and early, and he felt like he could do anything, once he'd had his cup of coffee.

He checked his phone and saw that there was a message from Kevin, saying good morning, and a picture of what looked like the underside of a boat, the blueish green water making the colours look strange. There was a glimpse of Kevin's tail, he must be at work.

Dany sent him back the view from his balcony, the garden below him filled with rabbits, and they all stood on their hind legs to look up at him.

He made sure that he had a good breakfast, so that Jo wouldn't fuss over him today, although he was glad to have people who were concerned with his wellbeing.

Dany was skimming through the headlines when he got a text from Marcus, checking that he was still coming to play football, and he smiled at the fact that he was going to get out and meet people, it would do him good.

He got another picture from Kevin as he was getting dressed, Kevin smiling and happy underwater, his hair still perfect, and Dany knew what sort of picture he wanted to send back to him.

It took him a minute to work out the timer for the camera, propping his phone up on the bedside table when he was done, and then he changed into his rabbit form in the blink of an eye, bracing himself for the flash as he lay out on the bed.

Apart from his paws and ears, he hadn't really seen much of himself in rabbit form, and although he knew that he had sleek brown fur with black tips to his ears, he wasn't sure what the rest of him looked like now.

The camera flashed five times, and he blinked until the white glow no longer clouded his vision before turning back into his human form. He was amazed how white his tummy fur was, and how relaxed he looked with his legs kicked out to the side.

Dany sent the photo to Kevin, and his mind took a moment to process that the rabbit in the picture was him. Before he could put his phone down, it buzzed, and Dany smiled when he saw Kevin's reply.

_You're cute no matter what form you're in xxx_

He hurried to get dressed, thankful that his long legs would be able to get him to the football pitches by the river in no time at all.

*

Dany arrived right on eleven, and he could see that Jo had been scanning the people coming in looking for him.

Checo was standing next to Nico, chatting away to him, and Marcus was dozing by the side of the pitch, soaking up the sun with his special stone clasped in his hands. Will and Alex were the first ones to rush over to Dany, and Dany was quickly squished in the middle of a group hug.

For an instant, he knew what it would feel like to be part of a mass of furry bodies, all huddled together for warmth and security, and he felt at ease.

"I'm good, guys." Dany let out a little squeak, and the group backed off, Jo looking at him with brotherly concern.

"And before you ask, I slept well, I've had a big breakfast, and I'm ready to go." Dany flexed his lanky arms at Jo, and everyone laughed.

"Bring it on bunny boy." Alex stuck his tongue out, and Dany nudged him with his elbow, before jogging to get into place.

The match was fun, no-one could agree on which goals counted, so in the end it was declared a tie.

Getting changed was made less awkward by the fact that all were-animals were comfortable with nudity, although Dany was never going to hear the end of changing back into his human form while Jo was holding him.

"You have never seen anyone look more surprised when bunny boy turned into a human while Jo was holding him!" Alex laughed, pulling on his jumper as he shook out his wet hair. Dany blushed, but as he found out, everyone had at least one embarrassing story of when they transformed at a bad time.

"When I did my finals for med school," Checo said, "I didn't eat, and I'd been up all night studying… One look at the paper and I changed into a mouse, just sat on the desk squeaking until my big brother came to get me."

"I changed back into my human form, while at the top of a tree." Jo pointed to the scars just below his ribs.

"And I couldn't get out of my squirrel form to help him," Alex said, "So I had to just paw at his face to keep him conscious."

They all piled in to hug Jo, forming one mass of limbs, until someone's stomach growled.

"I think that's enough sharing for today," Jo said with a laugh, "I think it's time for lunch."

*

Dany ended up sat next to Nico at lunch, Esteban fetching him food as they caught up.

"Did you see that this would happen?" Dany asked, wondering if Nico had seen bits of his future.

"I only see possible futures, I can't tell if it's going to happen or not." Nico reached out to hold Dany's hand, and the hairs on his arm stood on end. "Did you meet your merman yet?"

"How did you know?"

"I saw a future, you look good with some grey," Nico said, smiling as Esteban returned with his food. "I saw you sitting by the sea with a merman, little rabbits running about nearby, and you look happy."

"That sounds perfect."

***

Carlos returned a week later, when Dany had nearly finished his shift. He'd found a job at another coffee shop chain without really trying, but he hadn't expected Carlos to just wander in.

"How did you find me?"

Carlos waved his hands in the air, before whispering, "Magic," and then laughing a lot.

"It's good to see you, mate." Dany glanced around at the nearly empty shop, it wasn't long until they closed, and he started to wipe down the machines so that he was ready to close at six on the dot.

"A little mouse told me that you were working here now, and that you're going to uni, and that you had to be rescued, from Animal Rescue."

Carlos roared with laughter, and Dany was sure that Checo must have showed him the CCTV of his daring escape.

"So… how was your week? Crisis averted?" Dany watched as Carlos swept his hair out of his face, biting his lip, and Dany knew that he had big news.

"How about I tell you everything over dinner tonight?"

"Sure, I have eight minutes and then I'm a free man." Dany laughed, watching the door like a rabbit as he waited for the inevitable customer that came in one minute from closing, but he was lucky tonight.

It was nice to see Carlos again, for all of his new friends, he didn't want to lose his best friend. There was something about the smile on Carlos' face that said Dany was in for one epic story once they got back to his flat.

There was always something comforting about the smell of potions in Carlos' flat, and the way the air shimmered with magic would always make his place unique.

They were barely in the door when dinner arrived, and the man delivering it was so stunningly beautiful that Dany could only stare. He had a cheeky smile, tanned skin and rippling muscles, which would have been amazing all on its own, but his wings were the main attraction. They were golden, light radiating out from them as they fluttered in the breeze.

"Are you an angel?" Dany asked, wondering what takeaway service used angels to deliver, and what sort of food they would eat.

"No, I'm a faerie." He handed the bag over to Dany before wandering into the flat. "I'm Mitch."

Carlos came rushing over, his smile now a full blown grin and Dany realised that he wasn't the only one who'd got a new boyfriend lately.

"You can stop drooling over my boyfriend now," Carlos said, still grinning as Mitch wrapped his wings around him, and Carlos ducked down for a kiss.

Dany looked at his feet, wondering if he should just go, but Carlos would have just said if he wanted some alone time with his boyfriend. There was something about the way that they kissed that looked more like they had been dating for quite a while, and yet they couldn't have been together more than two weeks. It was obviously meant to be.

"Sorry," Carlos said, taking Mitch's hand as they all wandered through to the living room, curling up on the sofa as the smell of burritos filled the room.

Carlos went in for a hug as Mitch unwrapped the food, it was their third hug of the evening, and yet to Dany it still felt like the sort of hug he gave after they hadn't seen each other for a long time.

"Tell me everything," Dany said, once Carlos had released him from his vice like grip. He was talking with his mouth full, but no-one seemed to mind and the food was so good.

Carlos told him the whole story, and Dany could only manage one word. "Wow."

"So have you called your merman?"

"Mmm, mermen are so cute," Mitch said, and Dany laughed, that was quite high praise from a man sitting in gold hot pants, and nothing else.

"Yes, we've been messaging each other." Dany smiled, and he fidgeted with his phone at the mention of Kevin. "He even sent me a picture of his legs."

"It must be serious." Carlos leant over for a hug, and Dany wrapped his lanky arms around him, as Carlos squeezed him tight.

"We're going to meet up over the winter break, before I head home." Dany had it all planned out, he'd get three days with Kevin and then head home, and he'd get another day with Kevin on the way back.

"I'm happy for you, bro." Carlos snuggled into Mitch, but he sat up, giving Carlos a kiss on the cheek before it disintegrated into them noisily making out on the sofa.

"I'm going to take my contacts out," Mitch said, and Dany had to bite his tongue. He didn't think faeries would need glasses, but if Mitch was getting ready for bed, he knew that it was his cue to leave.

"I'm going to leave you two alone," Dany said, winking at Carlos as he headed for the door. It was good to see Carlos looking so happy, and Mitch seemed to make him really happy.

*****

The winter holidays came around in a blur of exams and coffee, and Dany couldn't quite believe that he was going to see Kevin again. He'd been playing football with the guys most weeks, and he'd seen quite a lot of Carlos, and Mitch.

They'd been messaging each other every single day, and the closer it had got to the eighteenth, the more excited Dany felt. He was glad that he'd got control of his body, because he was sure that the adrenaline would have sent everything haywire.

The whole time that he was waiting at the teleportation place he felt his heart race, just the knowledge that he was going to see Kevin soon was enough to have his whole body vibrating with the excitement. It reminded him of the time that he drank eleven coffees so that he could study all night.

He teleported in the blink of an eye, and when he arrived, his eyes and ears were on alert for Kevin. The second that he saw his cheeky smile he ran into his arms, picking him up and swinging him around. The smell of the sea was there, and it brought back all the happy memories of how they met.

"I've missed you," Kevin whispered, as Dany put him down so that he could get a good look at him. Even under the fluorescent lights of the arrivals hall, he still looked every bit as gorgeous as he did in the sunlight.

"I've missed you too." Dany felt calm now that he was here with Kevin, and he ducked down for a kiss, chaste but still loving, the taste of salt still on his lips.

Kevin held his hand for the entire journey, pointing out all the interesting things that they saw on the train, and in the town where he lived as they walked through to his house. The sun was long gone and there was frost on the ground.

Dany was glad that he'd read up on everything, and his new course had been enlightening, so that he wasn't surprised to see Kevin's house. He'd assumed that merpeople would live underwater, not in houses, although they were mostly houses on the coast, for easy access to the sea.

It was a nice sized house, although all the houses out here seemed to be a similar size, he'd got so used to London having only flats that seeing places with actual detached houses was a bit of a culture shock in and of itself.

"It's a lovely place that you've got," Dany said, and Kevin smiled, but it wasn't for the compliment.

"Do you want the tour?" Kevin's cheeky grin shone out and he knew which room was going to be first.

"Start with the bedroom?" Dany wrapped his arms around Kevin, walking behind him as he wiggled his bum, and Dany trailed kisses down the side of his neck as Kevin giggled.

"I like the way that you think."

Once the bedroom was in sight, Dany twirled Kevin around, ducking down for a kiss as he grabbed at Kevin's rear, picking him up so that he could wrap his legs around him. Kevin growled, nipping at Dany's lips as he stumbled towards the bed, from the look of lust in Kevin's eyes he wasn't going to last long, and Dany was already hard and leaking just from the sight of Kevin.

His whole body was primed for every touch, it felt like he had been waiting forever for this moment, every atom longing to be with Kevin again.

Dany fumbled with the zip of Kevin's hoodie, and Kevin dragged his eyes over Dany, helping him with the zip as he shrugged it off to reveal a tight white t-shirt, and Dany bit his lip as he took it all in.

"You are so beautiful." Dany stroked the side of Kevin's face, leaning in to kiss the tip of his nose.

Kevin snuggled against his chest, hugging him tight as he inhaled his scent, and Dany rubbed his chin over the top of Kevin's head.

"Did you just chin me?" Kevin looked up at him with his big blue eyes, letting out a yawn before snuggling back in.

"Yes, I just wanted you to know how much I care about you." Dany patted the bed, and both of them slipped out of their clothes as they made themselves comfy. The lust had made way to something else, a feeling of contentment now that he was cuddled up with the one that he loved.

"I love you," Kevin said, as though he could read minds, and he reached out to hold Dany's hand, intertwining their fingers.

"I love you too."

***

Dany woke up to the sun peeking over the horizon, and Kevin draped over him, his hard cock leaving trails of pre-come that shimmered in the light.

He stroked the side of Kevin's face, marvelling at how soft his skin was. Leaning in for a kiss, the taste of salt still on his lips, Kevin let out a little sigh, and Dany felt his cock twitch.

Kevin opened his eyes, his hand trailing lower as he moved to straddle Dany, and from the look of his eyes he had only one thing on his mind.

"You were too cute to wake last night," Kevin said, ducking down for another kiss, "Your nose twitches when you sleep."

"It's been a hectic term at uni." Dany smiled, taking in the beautiful sight of Kevin towering over him. "But I don't want to talk about that now." Dany giggled, and Kevin grinned, leaning off the bed so that he could root around for a condom.

"I've been waiting for this," Kevin said, sitting up. The wrapper shimmered in the light as Kevin opened it, and Dany couldn't keep the smile off his face. He was glad that he'd read up on merman biology, and he trailed his fingers over Kevin's hole, teasing at the soft fuzzy hair around it.

Dany stroked over the lines of Kevin's tattoo, delighting in the way that Kevin shivered under his touch. He bit his lip as Kevin rolled the condom on, he knew that he wasn't going to last long, and he wanted to savour every second.

Kevin sank down on to him, without warning, and Dany had to take a deep breath just to stop himself from coming.

"You feel so good," Dany said, his breathing ragged as Kevin started to slowly rock his hips. Dany sat up so that he could kiss Kevin, holding their bodies close, his tongue flicking at his lips as Kevin picked up the pace.

Kevin tightened around him, pushing him over the edge, and Dany let his nails scrape over Kevin's back. Dany twitched as he slumped against Kevin, both of them breathless and sated.

"Worth the wait?" Dany asked, nuzzling at Kevin's neck as he held him close.

Kevin grinned, sitting back so that he could stare into Dany's eyes. "Definitely."

*

It took them a while to get out of bed, and even though the air was cool, it was nice to sit on the beach and eat breakfast, Kevin relaxing with his tail out. The sun was low, but out of the wind it was warm enough to lay out.

"Do you want to see something amazing?" Kevin asked, rolling on to his side with a grin on his face, the sound of the sea soothing.

Dany nodded, grin on his face, watching as Kevin bounced back up to the house, reappearing a couple of minutes later with a pair of flippers, and a diving mask.

"Want a tour of the rest of my house?"

"Really?"

Kevin watched as Dany stripped down to his boxers, rushing to put on the flippers as Kevin put the mask over his face, making sure that it fitted correctly.

Dany followed Kevin down to the bottom of the sea, he'd expected the water to be cold, but it was surprisingly warm as he got closer to the bottom. It took him a minute to get used to the breathing apparatus, but once he was breathing steadily it all came naturally. At first all Dany could see was rocks, but then as Kevin went into a small cavern, Dany saw the sun streaming through it, and it looked magical.

The water was a beautiful tropical blue-green, and Kevin was stunningly beautiful, his scales sparkling as he swam.

Dany looked at it all with awe, and Kevin cuddled in next to him, sitting among the seaweed.

Kevin took the breathing apparatus off, replacing it with his lips, and Dany let out a sigh, bubbles escaping his lips as Kevin filled his lungs with air. It was so intimate, sharing this with Kevin, and he couldn't imagine a better future.

"I love you," Dany said, the bubbles escaping from his lips as Kevin went in for a kiss before taking his hand, leading him back to the surface.

They splashed through at the surface, and Dany took a deep breath as Kevin ruffled his hair back into place. "You like?"

"I love it," Dany said, leaning in for a kiss, "I love you."

"Good, because I love you too."

 


	6. Epilogue

Dany was running around in his rabbit form, chasing a chubby squirrel along the beach as their boyfriends relaxed in the water. Marcus was in his otter form, playing with his favourite stone as Kevin and his friends splashed each other with their tails, the water sparkling in the sun.

Carlos and Mitch were lying out in the sun, relieved that they didn't have to wear clothes, since this little bit of beach belonged to Kevin, and he'd been kind enough to invite all of Dany's friends over for the summer.

A wave crashed against the beach, splashing Dany, and he stopped while he shook his ears, cleaning his face so that the sand didn't get in his eyes.

There was the smell of burgers cooking, and Dany looked up to see Will serving up food. He shifted back into his human form, rushing up the beach towards the food.

Alex was running too, and the second that they locked eyes, it turned into a race. Dany turned back into his rabbit form, sprinting up to Will before reappearing in his human form, grinning at Alex who doffed his imaginary hat at him.

"Well played bunny boy," Alex said, laughing as he opened another beer, before helping Will put all the burgers on rolls, carrying the plate over to where Carlos and Mitch were lying out.

Once everyone was comfy and had food in their hands, Dany cuddled into Kevin. The conversation was easy, and Kevin's friends were all interested to know more about Dany, he'd not had a chance to meet them when he visited in the winter.

"So tell us about yourself," Steph said, smiling at Dany as he took a deep breath.

"I'm a twenty-three year old bisexual bunny that studies computing and works in a coffee shop," Dany said, laughing as he turned to face Kevin, "And I'm completely in love with a merman."

Dany went in for a kiss, and Kevin used his tail to cover Dany's half hard cock, wrapping himself around him.

It was a perfect holiday, surrounded by the people that he loved.

**Author's Note:**

> *and obviously none of this actually happened, it is all a figment of my twisted imagination ;)


End file.
